Business and Community Development Newsroom

For the second straight year, Kansas has been ranked the nation’s No. 7 most business-friendly state in the Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States report, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced today.

The No. 7 finish also marks the state’s third consecutive Top 10 finish in the report.

The annual Pollina report analyzes all 50 states by examining 31 site location factors controlled by state governments, including taxation, human resources, economic incentive programs, economic development efforts and infrastructure. States that score well in these categories typically are successful in attracting and retaining businesses.

Kansas finished one spot behind Nebraska and one spot ahead of South Dakota.

“We’re excited that the Pollina report continues to recognize Kansas as one of the most business-friendly states in the country,” said Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson. “By investing in policies, like education and public infrastructure, that promote economic development, Kansas is positioning itself to come out of this recession ahead of other states. This announcement is among a series of achievements for Kansas that confirms what we already know – that by working together to find common-ground solutions, we can keep Kansas a strong state for business and further our economic recovery.”

The complete Top 10 ranking is available at www.pollina.com.

Today’s announcement marks the fourth time since May a major media outlet or survey has recognized Kansas for business excellence. On June 15, Kansas was ranked No. 11 in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business report. Earlier that month, Area Development magazine named Kansas the winner of the Silver Shovel Award for excellence in job creation and capital investment. In May, Kansas was named one of the nation’s 10 most competitive states for capital investment and facility development by Site Selection magazine, a leading publication for site consultants. Visit www.kansascommerce.com/newsroom for details.

In Fiscal Year 2010, the Kansas Department of Commerce facilitated 68 successful site location projects in which Kansas was competing with at least one other state. Those projects produced 13,900 jobs at an average wage of $25 per hour and 838 million in capital investment.

For more information, contact Joe Monaco, Public Information Officer with the Kansas Department of Commerce, at (785) 296-3760 or jmonaco@KansasCommerce.com.